NEPTUNE BEACH, Fla. – A Navy sailor was arrested on the Fourth of July after swimming naked in the ocean near children at Neptune Beach, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said.
Paul LeDuff, 18, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is charged with lewd exhibition and resisting an officer without violence.
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According to this arrest report, officers tried to get LeDuff to come to the shore multiple times, but he ignored them and it appeared that "he swam in and out purposely putting himself near children as he drifted north."
Ocean Rescue was called to the scene about 6 p.m. Tuesday, entered the water, surrounded LeDuff and ordered him to get out of the water, but he refused, police said.
At one point, the arrest report said, Ocean Rescue "provided a towel for LeDuff to wrap around his waist, but he let it drift away and did not attempt to cover himself."
Ocean Rescue personnel eventually grabbed him by the arms and escorted him out of the water.
One concerned parent also told police that LeDuff exposed himself to her 10-year-old daughter, saying the girl was playing in the ocean when he swam near her naked.
LeDuff was booked into the Duval County Jail and ordered held on $27,500 bond.